Pain 2: Him (H.S)

Chapter 50

Faint music plays from the living room throughout the house and into the kitchen as I'm left crying in my moms arms. I wasn't planning on showing her how I'm feeling but it's just too much to cage in and she already sensed that something was off.

"Don't cry, Alee. There's nothing to cry over." The tender touch of her palm gliding up and down my back seems to provide me with no comfort or ease but only the rush of anxiety. He's been gone for an hour doing God knows what to God knows who while he makes me sit here and worry. He shouldn't have left me, he should've stayed with me where I needed him, but it's my fault. I should've put more effort into stopping him.

Her chest is stained with my tears and I feel the wetness patching onto my cheek tempting my fear of losing Harry to tell her what's happening. I've been hiding this for so long, too long, and I'm so tempted to divulge the truth to her. I know what him and Blake are capable of and knowing what they want to do to each other sets the most suffocating weight on my chest. "Tell me why he left." She cradles my cheeks to remove me from her neck to force me to look at her, and the words are on the tip of my tongue.

"He was angry." I feel stifled by the lump in my throat.

"How come?"

"He got into an argument."

"With who?" The motherly concern shows through her creased brows
and uneasy tone in her voice.

"Someone, I don't know." All of the lies just keep piling onto this wall I've built these passed months and I know it's far too high now to knock down.

"With you?"

"No."

"Don't lie," she sympathetically encourages and I frown, "tell me the truth, baby. I won't get upset. Who is he mad at?"

I'll just give her a name, nothing more. "Niall." But I want to tell her everything!

"I'm sure it's nothing." She's so oblivious it's angering me. I'm angry with myself. "Wait a little while longer and see how it all tur--" Instantly, my phone in my pocket rings and I hastily step out of her grasps to answer it.

I can feel my heart rate speeding looking at his name on my screen, "hello?" I sniffle wanting nothing more than to hear his voice.

"Listen to me," he says and I do, "go upstairs and pack some clothes, we're staying at the apartment tonight. I'll come up with something to tell your mum but for now, just tell her we're going out."

"Okay." I nod breaking then re-inviting the silence while she listens curiously.

"Is she with you?"

"Yeah." I reply.

"Smile," he instructs and I do what he says. I force a fabricated smile on my face, watching hers relax towards the false reassurance of my expression, "tell her you're spending the day with me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm outside waiting. Hurry, I love you."

"Okay." I've exhausted this word. "Bye."

"Well?" She grins hopefully while I slide my phone back into my pocket.

"He went for a drive to clear his head. He wants to spend the day with me." Third lie in under two minutes.

"See, told you there was nothing to worry about. Should I talk to him just in case?" She offers taking a small tissue bag from out of her pocket to hand to me.

"No, I don't think he wants to talk." She pulls a tissue out of the small pouch and hands it to me, kissing my forehead before letting me go. "Thanks."